Terra Holcomb

I am the designer, photographer and subject of my dresses.

My photographs capture a temporary, private performance between me and my surroundings. By fitting the flowers or moss to my skin, I become camouflaged in the wilderness. It is within these fleeting moments when I feel most connected to nature. Because I travel alone and leave the dresses to the wilderness, many times the only witness has been my camera and I.

Photographing myself alone in the dresses requires hours of scouting for private locations, surrendering to the weather and preparing for unexpected encounters with hunters or allergic reactions to materials. The dresses are made with a sense of urgency due to the change of seasons, their delicate nature or the time I have set aside for the trip. Because of this, there is a great amount of pressure, patience and determination to create quickly. With each new material I learn about it’s history, symbology and use for medicine, food and clothing. Gathering and working with ephemeral materials in this way has become a meditative practice that calms me when contemplating our changing climate. Fittingly, I was named Terra for being born on Earth Day.